Archive for April, 2010

I woke up this morning to an explosion of Spring! Birds are singing, our grass is crazy green, trees are fat with leaves, and azaleas punctuate the landscape with bright pops of color. It seems like it’s been a long time coming, what with the atypical bouts of snow we endured this winter. (my kids loved it, me…not so much)

Finally life has made its way back to our winter-worn landscape and I find myself walking with a bit more “spring” in my step (sorry, couldn’t help myself).

So with nature as our muse, we designed our newest bedding collection, Sage Chirp.

You can almost hear the cute little birds chirping as they float inside their tiny bubbles on the incredibly soft 100% Pimatex cotton. The collection boasts shades of rich brown and sage green and our design team thoughtfully incorporated coordinating fabrics with bold stripes and geometric shapes. Sage Chirp is both classic and modern and perfect for expecting parents who want to keep the gender of their baby a surprise.

Don’t overlook the coordinating artwork for this collection (left and right canvas & wallhanging) or the adorable round sage green rug with thick chocolate border and custom initial. These accessories will surely complete your baby’s nursery with sophistication and style.

And remember, if there is something you’d like to “tweak” about Sage Chirp (or any of our other crib bedding sets for that matter), just drop the collection into our design-your-own interactive tool to make your baby’s bedding perfect and unique.

Yay! The “big news” has finally settled in and now you’re ready to stop freaking out and start preparing for your little one’s arrival. And the best part of that preparation?

Decorating the nursery!

I know, I know…it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but just try to have fun with it and enjoy the process. You really can’t go wrong, especially if you follow these 5 easy steps:

A great place to start in the decorating process is with an inspiration. Think about whether you have a favorite color, or a piece of artwork that you’d like to incorporate, or theme that you’ve always dreamed of using for a nursery. For example, I always wanted a carousel horse to be the primary design element in my daughter’s room. (long before I came to work at Carousel Designs…a bit ironic isn’t it?!) Then, of course, it had to be pink! That gave me something to build on.

If you don’t already have something special in mind and are starting from scratch, then I’d recommend purchasing the furniture first, as this is usually the biggest investment.

Next, I’d choose the crib bedding as the this is probably what you’re going to fall in love with the most (like your wedding dress). The idea is to find something that speaks to you, or generates an emotional reaction when you first lay eyes on it.

Now select the wall décorto coordinate and complement your bedding. My favorite wall decorations have sentimental value or are special to the baby’s parents (i.e., a beautifully framed copy of their wedding or baby shower invitation).

Last but not least, decide on a wall color. With literally thousands of paint colors available, it won’t be difficult to match anything you decide upon. Trying to match your bedding to an existing wall color, however, can be a little tricky.

Boy or Girl?

Of course, whether or not your nursery design will be gender specific will factor into these decisions. If you’ve chosen to complete the nursery prior to finding out whether you’re having a boy or girl, you’ll want to choose design elements that are gender neutral.

Black and white is always a great choice in decorating a nursery that’s not gender specific. It not only stimulates your baby’s senses but it also opens up a whole world of decorating opportunities later on down the road. You can mix your black and white bedding with touches of lime green or cherry tomato red for a nice pop of color, or you can add touches of pinks or blues once the baby has arrived.

Can’t Find Anything You Like? Design Your Own!

If you’re having a hard time finding a crib bedding collection that speaks to you, try our custom baby bedding interactive tool. It’s super fun (and can be a little addictive), and it’s a great way to create something one-a-kind (just like your baby).

With our already designed collections, we’ve hand selected artwork, cribs, rugs and lighting to complete your room, saving you precious time by sourcing those perfect accessories for you.

But most of all, remember…you can’t go wrong! Your baby will love spending time with you in his or her special room regardless of what’s on the wall. But if you’ve got specific design questions, or you’re stumped and need a little help, we’d love to hear from you! Leave us a message on Twitter or write on our Facebook wall and let the conversation begin!